Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1887-02-14
THE BILL.

Unless the Associated Press dispatches
concerning the action of the Conference
Committee are mere guess work, some
OF the most vital clauses OF the Tucker
bill have been stricken out, and the Act
will prove bitter disappointment to the
really loyal people Of Utah, who hoped
that the bill would have been ac-
cepted by the committee precisely as it
came from the House. The elimination
OF those portions giving the appointments
OF Territorial offices to the President and
Governor is likely to thwart the real de-
sign OF the bill, which is, or at least was
to transfer the political power in the Terri
tory from dsloyal to loyal hands. TO have
filled the local offices by appointments
was the most direct and certain method
OF effecting this, and the substitution OF
the election provision is an experiment
which is likely to result disastrously to
the loyal cause. A couple of years of
Gentle rule here under the appointing
power, would have convinced the more
liberal and intelligent Mormons
Of the falsity of the assertions
OF the priesthood that persecu-
ton and plunder would follow the
transfer of political power to the anti
Mormon element. 1t would have recon-
ciled the better class OF Mormons to the
change, and prevented such OF those as ad-
hered to their faith from stretching their
consciences to the extent of taking the test
oath, when the time arrived for the cleo
ton OF the officers by the people. As the
bill is reported to stand at present, the
result will be doubtful. A DEMOCRAT
attache heard few evenings ago, half
dozen Mormons discussing the test oath
matter and everyone OF them expressed
the opinion that it could be conscientiously
taken by anyone not actually living in
polygamy. If that is the vie W
taken by the Mormon masses,
the election result is not even
problematical. The striking out OF the
section authorizing the appointments was
a most dangerous il not fatal blow to
the general purpose of the Act. If it has
been done, it was evidently at the in
stance OF Senator Edmunds, whose in
tense partisanship could not reconcile
itself to the entrusting of such
q number of appointments to a
Democratic President and Governor. 1t
is rumored that the Vermont Senator was
advised to this course by little clique
here, which claims to have a corner on all
OF the loyalty in the Territory, and which
denounces as disloyal, all move ments
which do not tend to the personal, pecu-
mary or political advancement of its
members. 1t is to be hoped that this
report is untrue, for it is far from pleasant
to even suspect such infamous treachery
from anyone claiming to have drop OF
loyal American blood in his veins. The
reported change in the matter of punish
ment for unlawful cohabitation is but
slight Improvement upon the present
law. The adultery clause would seem
to apply to everyone except those who
commit the act under the guise of polyg-
amous marriage. OF course no definite
conclusion can be arrived at in regard to
the damage or improvement effected by
the Committee, until there is a full report
and the changes carefully and connect
edly considered. The present reports
are, however, decidedly unfavorable.
The bill, with the rumored changes, may
be "a step in the right direction" but is
an extremely short one, and leaves us a
long distance from the terminus of the
reform road in Utah.